Silver Ferns seal spot in World Cup final

Keeping their unbeaten record intact, the Silver Ferns advanced to tomorrow’s Netball World Cup SYDNEY 2015 final after defusing an experienced England line-up 50-39 in Saturday’s first semi-final.

The Silver Ferns showed their growing maturity to overcome a challenging first half when producing a storming second half to complete, in the end, a convincing win. Fighting back from a slow start, England kept the New Zealanders honest throughout a close first half.

But the England Roses struggled all match to counter the Silver Ferns smothering full-court defence. The relentless pressure resulted in too many turnovers, the Silver Ferns taking full toll with their ability to punish.

Taking the sting out of England in the first half, the Silver Ferns took the game by the scruff of the neck in the second, big defence complimented by a strong conversion rate under the hoop.

The Silver Ferns presented with a predictable line-up for the tournament-defining clash, adopting the same starting seven as employed against the wins over Australia and Jamaica.  For England, youngster Helen Housby, who has given a great account of herself during the event, got the nod at goal attack.

As in previous matches, the Silver Ferns got away to an impressive start when scoring the first four goals before the stanza developed into a real arm wrestle.

The New Zealanders zone defence, once again, provided an effective weapon as big defence from both teams ensured a low-scoring quarter. England struggled to get the ball goal-bound, Silver Ferns skipper Casey Kopua playing a strong hand in defusing key shooter Joanne Harten.

At the other end, the well-performed Geva Mentor proved equally as effective in keeping the Silver Ferns shooters on their toes. She was well supported by livewire wing defence Serena Guthrie who was in the thick of action.

Missed goals for England were costly, the Silver Ferns finding more attacking momentum through the snappy ball movement of Laura Langman, Grace Rasmussen and Maria Tutaia to build an 11-5 advantage at the first break.

The injection of the experienced Pamela Cookey for Housby on the resumption helped resurrect England’s fortunes. Cookey’s speed and movement opened up spaces for the dangerous Harten as England came back strongly through a tight and tense second stanza.

Under close attention from the England defenders, Silver Ferns shooter Bailey Mes settled into the groove, steadying the ship under the hoop as the New Zealanders clung on to their lead through a clutch of specialist long-range shots from Tutaia.

With England challenging all the way and Harten ever-threatening, another strong burst helped the Silver Ferns hold a precarious 21-17 lead at the main break.

With veteran defender Leana de Bruin replacing Katrina Grant for the second half, the Silver Ferns produced a huge lift in defensive pressure, stifling England’s rhythm through court.

Kopua and Kayla Cullen were prominent in picking off turnover ball, great support play throughout helping the Silver Ferns convert a dominant quarter. Scoring the first four goals of the stanza set the tone, the New Zealanders making the most of their turnover opportunities to keep the pressure on England.

Showing no let-up in their intent, the all-important third stanza showed the Silver Ferns ability to absorb and punish when they stretched out to a handy 37-27 lead at the last break.

The Silver Ferns will play the winner of Australia and Jamaica in the Gold Medal Match on Sunday 16 August at 5.20pm (NZT). Fans can catch the action live on SKY Sport 4.

Quarter-by-Quarter Scores

SILVER FERNS│ Q1: 11 – Q2: 21 (10) – Q3: 37 (16) – Q4: 50 (13)

ENGLAND│ Q1: 5 – Q2: 17 (12) – Q3: 27 (10) – Q4: 39 (12)

Shooting Statistics

SILVER FERNS: 50/64 @ 78%

Mes: 15/22 @ 68%

Tutaia: 35/42 @ 83%

ENGLAND: 39/50 @78%

Harten: 31/36 @ 86%

Housby: 1/4 @ 25%

Cookey: 7/10 @ 70%

Starting Line-ups

SILVER FERNS│ GS Mes, GA Tutaia, WA Rasmussen, C Langman, WD Cullen, GD Grant, GK Kopua

ENGLAND│ GS Harten, GA Housby, WA Greenway, C Clarke, WD Guthrie, GD Beckford-Chambers, GK  Mentor

Positional Changes

SILVER FERNS

Q3 – GD de Bruin

ENGLAND

Q2 – GA Cookey

Q4 – GD Mkoloma, C Bayman, WA Clarke